6 Topics To Avoid At Work

For many of us, work is a social milieu, in addition to a place where we punch the clock and earn cash to pay the bills. As such, we feel comfortable with co-workers and engage them in conversation throughout the day. We even have relationships with these same co-workers outside of business hours and may count them as close friends.

This is all well and good. A job can be a drag even when we work with people we like, let alone people we can barely tolerate. I thus encourage everyone to interact with co-workers and socialize with them in order to make the 9 to 5 more enjoyable.

There is a limit, however, to the topics of conversation one should broach in the confines of the office, especially when more than one pair of ears is present to take in the discussion.

This isn't about political correctness. Believe me, I couldn't care less about that. Rather, this is about remembering where you are when you begin to discuss certain hardcore topics with a co-worker. You're not in debating class, I can tell you that. So save your views on abortion for another time and place (unless of course you work in Congress), and keep the banter light on the job.

Here are some pretty obvious conversation areas to steer away from:

1- Politics

Stop me if you've heard of or been through this before. The guy in the cubicle next to you is a proud, card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association and owns every single Chuck Heston film ever made (even Soylent Green ). You, on the other hand, think America would be a better place right now if Hubert Humphrey had been elected President in 1968. Deep down inside, you still think Al Gore got hosed in Florida.

This is a powder keg situation. Just try to mention in a casual manner that you think wood has a higher IQ than George W. Bush. You think a man who shoots ground squirrels with hollow-point bullets is going to let that go?

Now more than ever, it's a wise policy to steer clear of politics. Sure, I think we can all agree that a dead Uday and Qusay Hussein is a good thing in the long run, but even then, you're bound to inflame passions if you declare that to the entire office. Political discussions are never short and indifferent. So as much as possible, try to keep your personal affiliations to yourself. Take heed, goat-sacrificing Satan worshippers!